Art & Architecture

“All material in nature, the mountains and the streams and the air and we, are made of Light which has been spent, and this crumpled mass called material casts a shadow, and the shadow belongs to Light.”—Louis I. Kahn, Between Silence and Light

A User’s Guide to Tibetan Buddhist Art and Practice

The sacred arts play an essential, intrinsic role in Tibetan Buddhist practice. Here, one of the great practitioners and master artists of our time presents a guide to the Tibetan Buddhist path, from preliminary practices through enlightenment, from the artist's… Read More

Buddhas, Deities, and Enlightened Masters from the Tibetan Tradition

Tibetan Buddhism is rich with figures that embody the teachings and history of this great tradition. This book pays homage to the bodhisattvas and buddhas, teachers, and deities within the Indo-Tibetan tradition, and the great range of practices, teachings, transmissions,… Read More

The Splendor of East Asian Calligraphy

This comprehensive and accessible introduction to the history and art of calligraphy as it’s been practiced for centuries in Asia offers the possibility of appreciating it in a hands-on way. It works as a guide for the beginner hoping… Read More

How to Think like a Modern Artist

Art making is for everyone, including you. Let this liberating tenet of modern art inspire you to discover and reclaim your creative birthright, even if it’s been repressed by a conventional education. Art Rules! shows how to be your… Read More

Its History through Poems and Paintings by Japanese Masters

In the past hundred years, haiku has gone far beyond its Japanese origins to become a worldwide phenomenon—with the classic poetic form growing and evolving as it has adapted to the needs of the whole range of languages and cultures… Read More

Seeing the World with Fresh Eyes

This book teaches us how to fully connect with the visual richness of our ordinary, daily experience. Photography is not just a mechanical process; it requires learning how to see. As you develop your ability to look and see, you… Read More

The Art of Enlightenment

When a Zen master puts brush to paper, the resulting image is an expression of the quality of his or her mind. It is thus a teaching, intended to compassionately stop us in our tracks and to compel us… Read More

Zen Circles of Enlightenment

The ensō is one of the most prevalent images of Zen art, and it has become a kind of symbol of the clean and strong Japanese aesthetic. It has been subject to a rich variety of interpretations—seen as everything from… Read More

Traditional Japanese Packaging

Traditional Japanese packaging is an art form that applies sophisticated design and natural aesthetics to simple objects. In this elegant presentation of the baskets, boxes, wrappers, and containers that were used in ordinary, day-to-day life, we are offered a stunning… Read More

Spirit in the Architecture of Louis I. Kahn

In the development of contemporary architecture, no one has had a greater influence than Louis I. Kahn, whose many buildings include the Salk Institute, the Yale Study Center, and the Exeter Library. He is remembered, however, not only as a… Read More

Photographs from Point Lobos

These magical photographs of ordinary land- and waterscapes all share a mysterious quality of presence that calls into question any distinction we might make between ourselves and the natural world. They thus represent the renowned nature photographer–Zen master’s teaching on… Read More

Zen Circles of Enlightenment

The ensō is one of the most prevalent images of Zen art, and it has become a kind of symbol of the clean and strong Japanese aesthetic. It has been subject to a rich variety of interpretations—seen as everything from… Read More

Tibetan Art in Practice

One of the most striking aspects of Tibetan Buddhism is its wealth of visual imagery. Ranging from the tranquility of a serenely poised meditator to the dynamic energy of apparently wrathful figures, this vivid and diverse imagery often leaves… Read More

Methods and Materials

Tibetan Thangka Painting is the only detailed description of the techniques and principles of the sacred art of Tibetan scroll painting. It is the distillation of research carried out over a period of ten years, collected during five journeys to… Read More

Proportional Harmonies in Nature, Art, and Architecture

One of the delights of life is the discovery and rediscovery of patterns of order and beauty in nature—designs revealed by slicing through a head of cabbage or an orange, the forms of shells and butterfly wings. These images are… Read More